Of all the many things that we’ve covered in 20 years of Joyzine, First Timers Fest is up there amongst my favourites. A fantastic initiative to give people the chance to pick up an instrument, form a band and play their first gig, run by a team of volunteers (many of whom are former First Timers themselves) in an excellent independent music venue (or indeed two this time around), it encapsulates pretty much everything we love about the DIY music scene, and has produced some pretty fantastic bands over the years too.
With this year’s workshops already underway, we caught up with the organisers to find out a little more.
For those who’ve not come across it yet, what is First Timers?Â
First Timers is a series of workshops culminating in a festival. It aims to encourage people who have never played before to pick up an instrument, make a band and play on stage. We want to address the lack of diversity in the DIY music scene and therefore encourage people who have been historically sidelined to take part.
Can you give us a quick potted history of the event?Â
According to a First Timers’ tumblr, it “was started by Bryony Beynon in 2013. The first FT took place in Nov 2013 in London and over twenty new bands. Big Joanie, Primetime and ‘Kin Shot formed through it… The first night took place in a squatted venue in Hackney.” It moved to the DIY Space for London, a volunteer run social centre, where the festival was run in April 2016 over two full days.
There are now dozens of bands that have come out of the workshops and festivals – any that our readers might (or should) have heard of?
Loads. Big Joanie is the most well-know at this point. Other big names are Breakup Haircut, Any Dog (fka Bitch Hunt) and Charmpit.
Where are this year’s events taking place and why have you chosen this venue?
Since the closure of DIY Space during the pandemic, we’re been running workshops at the Cavendish in Stockwell and the festival at the Victoria in Dalston. Finding accommodating affordable venues has been a challenge, and these were the best fit for us.
 What are the workshops on offer this year and who will be leading them?
This year, we’re offering: intro to Keyboard with Natasha from Screaming Toenail; Singing and Experimental Songwriting; Bass Guitar Basics with Ripley from Breakup Haircut; Rhythm Guitar with Joni; vocals with MIRI and intro to Drums. You do not need to take part in the workshops to form a band.
For anyone who’s umming and erring about coming along to a workshop, what would you say to convince them to give it a try?
Personally, it changed my life for the better. I discovered a whole new set of emotions around anger particularly, it helped me be more confident in my queerness and learning the drums gave me a greater appreciation of music as a listener.
Listen to a playlist of First Timers Bands:
Follow First Timers on Facebook / Instagram
Tickets for this year’s workshops and a sign-up sheet for the festival are available here
Interview by Paul Maps
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